Considering the thousands of ERERI/RIREN stories that exist on Wattpad, it's not always easy to find the stories that lead the pack. This is a collection of reviews I'm writing on the very best written, most creative, most compelling and most beauti...
xxdeathwishxx212 is the prolific author behind one of the most beloved trilogies in the Ereri/Riren community on Wattpad. The stories, "Don't You Trust Me," "Do You Still Love Me," and "The Final Farewell," collectively hold 379 chapters and have reached a stunning 897,000 reads over the last few years. These stories were among some of the very first ERERI/RIREN fanfiction I read when I first became obsessed, and I found that they hold the reader close in a never-ending dance between heartbreak, laughter, tragedy, hope and enduring love...a story of Eren and Levi that stays with you long after the last swipe up.
xxdeathwishxx212 is a gifted storyteller who lures you into the tale of these two men and captivates you until you've lived through every facet of their daily life together. What initially pulls you in is the forbidden attraction, and subsequent love, between French teacher Levi and depressive abuse survivor, Eren. Mr. Ackerman provides the first safe and loving space afforded to Eren since his mother died. At home, in an attempt to protect his sister, he is horrifically sexually and physically abused by his father and raped by his father's friends. There is no shying away on these topics. The author makes it impossible for you to turn away, and just when you think you might die from the discomfort, pain and futility Eren suffers through, you're engulfed along with him in Levi's warm light, affection and love. There is, for the most part, a fine balance between the darkness and light in the stories, but even his love for Levi can't keep him from slipping into the depths of his own personal hell.
Therein lies the profound beauty of the trilogy. Most stories with these themes of abuse, trauma and depression make Levi the solution to Eren's depression and suicidal tendencies. Instead, the author knows that when the mental illness runs as deep as Eren's does, no one can save him from himself. Therefore, as much comfort as Levi provides him, he can't keep Eren from slipping into the despair of his depression or from the ultimate choices of attempting suicide. Xxdeathwishxx212 shines a light into the dark corner where partners, friends and families suffer from the powerlessness of watching their loved ones spiral, as well as pick up the pieces of a failed suicide attempt.
The story of Levi and Eren's forbidden relationship gives way to the challenge of healing and thriving after a life full of trauma. Both men have their own haunted pasts. Enter the beam of hope that is Hanji. She provides an anchor for them both, becoming the most realistic and proactive provider of mental health education and solutions in fanfiction. We learn from her how to approach and support ourselves and others who struggle with the many facets of mental illness...PTSD, cutting, depression, bipolar, and suicide. Hanji frames the stories of Eren and Levi and their trauma, with the tools of healing they pick up along the way. For those of us that can relate all too well, Xxdeathwishxx212 creates a primer of survival and a handbook for hope.
As with all suffering, there is joy to balance it out and there is much of this in the trilogy. Watching our boys enjoy the fruits of their survival is the real satisfaction here. The author holds true to the characters' essences, but fleshes them out with humor, wit, intelligence and sexiness. The sex scenes are high grade, well-written and satisfying. Once again, the author insists on true-to-life relationships. As is common in long-term relationships, they vacillate between urgent, hot fucks and tender, passionate lovemaking.
Their interactions with our usual favorites are rich with nuance and depth, especially with Jean who is easily one of my favorites in this fanfiction. But it is the author's original characters that create the most well-rounded aspects of the story. These new gems allow Eren and Levi to bounce off of one another in ways we've not witnessed before, curating a profound collection of experiences that make them even more real to the reader. The laughter and genuine fondness the characters all have for one another brings the reader to the dinner table. By the end of the trilogy, you are just another member of the family, glancing affectionately at the young lovers whose hearts you have fallen in love with all over again.
*If you read any of these works, please let the author know that you found out about them here. Thank you!*
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